Several years ago, a constitutional Amendment was proposed to equalize the relations between men and women. Known as the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), it circulated throughout the United States for several years, with each state having an opportunity to vote for or against it.

The ERA failed to get enough votes to become a constitutional amendment, but many writers have since noted that feminism has not been stopped by the defeat of the ERA. Instead, many of the main proposals of the radical feminists have been adopted as law. Feminism, in short, has triumphed, even as the ERA was being defeated. The feminist movement has been equally victorious in America’s college classrooms.

A reporter at a recent meeting of the Modern Language Association in San Francisco observes that, “so prominent a part of the academic literary scene has feminism become that during one afternoon time slot at the convention no fewer than nine sessions on feminist topics from lesbian writing to “feminist dialogics” were droning on concurrently. Feminism has gone from being a special and rather narrow interest to having become one of the large clumsy categories by which literary study is organized in the university.“1

Feminists have also infiltrated other areas of study, such as history, sociology, anthropology, and even theology.

Even some evangelical professors claim to be “biblical feminists.” Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, who teaches English at William Paterson College, calls herself an evangelical, but has co-authored a book advocating “convenantal homosexuality.” At a meeting of the Evangelical Roundtable, she defended abortion, saying, “It is our right … it is our body … it is our choice.“2

Within many mainline Christian denominations, a separate “feminist theology” has developed. One of the leading Roman Catholic feminists, Rosemary Radford Reuther, has proposed new liturgies for her “woman-church,” including liturgies for healing after an abortion, covenanting of lesbian couples, and a Summer Solstice Party. Mary Jo Weaver, another Catholic feminist, asks what feminists can do about the traditional patriarchal church.

She sees two possible alternatives: “to reject the tradition and search for new alternatives (usually focused on the goddess and a revival of witchcraft) or to reinterpret the tradition in order to change its direction and open it to the influences and lives of women.“3 Some churches have changed their hymnals and Bibles to avoid masculine references to God, and some have gone so far as to place crucifixes in the church sanctuary with female Christs!

Some feminist historians are interested only in studying the place of women in history, and some feminist biblical scholars are only interested in understanding how the Bible addresses the problems of modern women. These are worthy exercises, and can be very fruitful. A study of President’s wives, for example, can reveal a lot about American politics.

In addition to this relatively mild form of “feminism,” however, there is a group of hard-core, self-conscious feminists whose main goal is to destroy the traditional family and Western “patriarchal” culture. At an extreme, there is a relatively small group of feminist witches. Though often scorned by other feminists, whose goals are mainly political, feminist witchcraft is the fastest growing segment of witchcraft in America today.4

What are the presuppositions of the feminist ideology?

1. Radical feminists are virulently anti-Christian. Some advocate a return to the ancient mythologies because the ancient pantheon of gods included female deities. Others do not go quite so far, but in the end, they have replaced the Christian God with women. For the feminists, Woman is God. At a conference on woman’s spirituality in 1976, the advent of the goddess was proclaimed. One feminist writer noted that “proclaiming that the ‘Goddess is Alive’ in a traditional church setting is proclaiming that … being female is divine.“5

2. Feminists seek equality for men and women. Some seek more than this, desiring feminine dominance over men. But, even equality between men and women is not a legitimate goal for a Christian movement. The Bible teaches that every institution in society has a structure of authority. There are elders in the church to rule the church; there are magistrates in the State to rule the citizens; and there are husbands who are to rule their families.

Though the Bible does not teach men to tyrannize their wives, the Bible clearly states that men are to be heads of the home, and women are to submit to them (Ephesians 5:22-23). In seeking to overthrow this God-ordained order, radical feminists are simply rebelling against God. Rebellious tendencies are also manifested in the feminist advocacy of “unisex,” in which an attempt is made to overcome God-ordained differences between the sexes.

3. Feminism is often a form of Marxism. The feminists see themselves as the oppressed and alienated sex, and their goal is to throw off the chains of oppression in order to liberate themselves. What they are seeking liberation from, of course, is the traditional family structure. They are also able to make the claims that Marxists do, about the ideas of their opponents. Scholars who draw attention to the psychological and biological differences between men and women are dismissed because they are simply interested in maintaining the status quo. This tactic is often simply an attempt to dismiss evidence that is not consistent with the feminist outlook.

4. These presuppositions of equality and liberation work out in a consistent social program. As summarized by George Gilder, the ERA, if passed, would in all likelihood have had the following effects:

eliminated all rights of wives and mothers to be supported by their husbands, except to the extent husbands could claim an equal right;

eliminated all laws in any way restricting the rights of the gay liberation movement publicly to teach, proselytize, or practice their sexual ideology;

forced the drafting of women and the sexual integration of all military units;

compelled the use of government funds for abortions.6

Culture is also to be feminized. In fact, feminism has already made remarkable progress in transforming our culture into a feminist ideal. As one “biblical feminist” notes, “Feminism since the early 1960s, has begun to color interpersonal relations, the language we speak, family life, the educational system, child-rearing practices, politics, business, the mass media, religion, law, the judicial system, the cultural values system, and intellectual life.“7

The feminist goal is nothing short of social, political, and cultural revolution. Beware of this when it emerges in your college classroom.

Feminism Convention

When the National Women’s Studies Association had a recent annual convention at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, the following courses were offered for professors. These are the actual course descriptions listed in the conference publication:

“Lesbian Studies: Creating Choices Both Inside and Outside the University. This session will explore lesbian education both within the university and in community based programs and will ask how feminist education can facilitate the choice of lesbian identity.”

“Female Deities: Historical Perspectives. Panelists present historical overviews of female deities: one discusses intimate associations of female deities of the ancient world to various insects and beasts; the second panelist sketches some major trends in the history of the mother goddess religion; the third explores the patriarchal dichotomy of marriage in opposition to love.”

“On the Barricades for Abortion Rights: What We’ve Learned and How We’ve Won Against the God Squads. Four activists will discuss how we can defend our gains nationally against the right-wing campaign to turn back the clock for women’s rights.”

“Lesbian Mothering. This session will deal with alternative conception, legalities and custody battles, and other related issues of lesbian mothering.”

Excerpt used from Surviving College Successfully: A Complete Manual for the Rigors of Academic Combat by Gary DeMar, 1988 by Primero Resources, used by permission of Wolgemuth & Hyatt Publishers, Inc. Available from your local Christian bookstore.

Your comments are welcome!

Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism (DVD)

Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology?

This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer.

A Revival Account: Asbury 1970 (DVD)

What is true Revival and Spiritual Awakening?

Discover the answer in this eyewitness account by Dennis Kinlaw, President of Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky, who recounts the story of a visitation of the Holy Spirit in 1970. This is the presentation that has continued to spark the flames of Revival in the hearts of people around the world. Contains eyewitness footage from the Revival at Asbury College in 1970 in Wilmore, Kentucky.

Certain to challenge you to greater holiness and a deeper commitment to full-scale revival. Original news and private footage has been included. If you are a student who longs to see a spiritual awakening at your school, you must see this video!

“This simple video does a wonderful job of conveying something of God’s heart and power, Everyone we have ever shown this to has received an immediate impartation of faith for revival and the power of prayer.”— Bob and Rose Weiner, Weiner Ministries Int’l

The Beast of Revelation: Identified (DVD)

Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation?

Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry’s insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation — and even more importantly — amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview!

Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue — but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today.

Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study — for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John’s famous letter “… to the seven churches which are in Asia.” (Revelation 1:4)

Dr. Francis Schaeffer - A Christian Manifesto (DVD)

That Swiss Hermit Strikes Again!

Dr. Schaeffer, who was one of the most influential Christian thinkers in the twentieth century, shows that secular humanism has displaced the Judeo-Christian consensus that once defined our nation’s moral boundaries. Law, education, and medicine have all been reshaped for the worse as a consequence. America’s dominant worldview changed, Schaeffer charges, when Christians weren’t looking.

Schaeffer lists two reasons for evangelical indifference: a false concept of spirituality and fear. He calls on believers to stand against the tyranny and moral chaos that come when humanism reigns-and warns that believers may, at some point, be forced to make the hard choice between obeying God or Caesar. A Christian Manifesto is a thought-provoking and bracing Christian analysis of American culture and the obligation Christians have to engage the culture with the claims of Christ.

The Silent Scream (DVD) Eight Languages

“When the lives of the unborn are snuffed out, they often feel pain, pain that is long and agonizing.” – President Ronald Reagan to National Religious Broadcasters Convention, January 1981

Ronald Reagan became convinced of this as a result of watching The Silent Scream – a movie he considered so powerful and convicting that he screened it at the White House.

The modern technology of real-time ultrasound now reveals the actual responses of a 12-week old fetus to being aborted. As the unborn child attempts to escape the abortionist’s suction curette, her motions can be seen to become desperately agitated and her heart rate doubles. Her mouth opens – as if to scream – but no sound can come out. Her scream doesn’t have to remain silent, however … not if you will become her voice. This newly re-mastered version features eight language tracks and two bonus videos.

The Abortion Matrix:
Defeating Child Sacrifice and the Culture of Death is a 195-minute presentation that traces the biblical roots of child sacrifice and then delves into the social, political and cultural fall-out that this sin against God has produced. You can order this series on DVD, read the complete script and view clips on-line...continued ...